Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 302: The China Sect Base in Dreamrealm

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised by Zhang Jingxu’s audacious proposal.

It was now evident that the Bronze Gate within the underground ruins served as a passage to an alternate dimension known as Dreamrealm. Furthermore, it was highly likely that this dimension was connected to the territory of some Moon Beasts or within their operational range.

In light of this, if they were to open the Bronze Gate as Zhang Jingxu suggested, they might very well encounter the Moon Beasts. Given the Moon Beasts’ predatory behavior, Liu Xing and the others would likely become their slaves. After all, Moon Beasts saw all humans present as potential slaves...

However, it was also possible that things had changed drastically within the Dreamrealm behind the Bronze Gate. Moon Beasts might have been driven away by other mythical creatures or even by humans.

Within Dreamrealm, humans still possessed a certain degree of influence. Aside from a few who inadvertently entered Dreamrealm, most humans intentionally entered, and these individuals undoubtedly had their strengths. They were either skilled wizards, masters of martial arts, or wielded powerful artifacts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare venture into Dreamrealm, a place fraught with danger.

Therefore, within Dreamrealm, multiple human factions controlled various regions, and even the Moon Beasts dared not provoke them without good reason.

Liu Xing believed that Zhang Jingxu’s intention to open the Bronze Gate was a risky move. He assumed Zhang Jingxu wanted to take a gamble, seeking assistance from the human factions in Dreamrealm. If they could secure help from these factions, Matsui Ichiro and the Ocean True Deity Sect would no longer pose a significant threat.

However, Liu Xing couldn’t help but think that Zhang Jingxu’s plan was overly daring. The human factions in Dreamrealm also had their share of flaws, notably their penchant for infighting. While they united against external threats posed by other mythical creatures, they tended to engage in power struggles for their own interests when there were no immediate external threats.

Therefore, Liu Xing doubted whether Zhang Jingxu, an outsider, would receive assistance from the human factions in Dreamrealm, unless...

With this thought in mind, Liu Xing looked at Zhang Jingxu and said, "Mr. Zhang Jingxu, are you out of your mind? We just discussed this, haven’t we? There’s a high probability that the area beyond that Bronze Gate belongs to the Moon Beasts. Moon Beasts delight in turning humans like us into their slaves. Won’t opening the Bronze Gate be like walking into a trap?"

Zhang Jingxu nodded and smiled, "Ryuusei, what you said isn’t entirely wrong. But that’s because you don’t know what lies beyond that Bronze Gate. I happen to know that behind that Bronze Gate lies a place known as Dreamrealm."

As expected, Zhang Jingxu indeed knew of Dreamrealm’s existence.

"Dreamrealm? What is that place?" Panda Pig asked.

Zhang Jingxu smiled again and continued, "In simple terms, Dreamrealm is a place similar to the real world but with significant differences in certain details. Some fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, individuals can enter Dreamrealm through their dreams, which is why it’s called Dreamrealm. You can think of Dreamrealm as a parallel dimension."

"In Dreamrealm, aside from humans, there are numerous mythical creatures. They are called mythical creatures because, on occasion, they can leave Dreamrealm and appear in the real world through various special means. Once witnessed by humans, some of these creatures become the stuff of legends, whether as divine beasts, auspicious creatures, or monsters. That’s why we collectively refer to them as mythical creatures."

"Among these special means is the existence of Alternate Dimension Gates that connect the real world to Dreamrealm. These Alternate Dimension Gates can appear anywhere in the real world and take various forms. For example, the Bronze Gate beneath our feet is one such Alternate Dimension Gate."

"And the reason I know all this is because a friend of my master, while traveling through the mountains in China with other Taoist practitioners, stumbled upon an Alternate Dimension Gate. This particular gate looked like a decrepit wooden plank obstructing the entrance to a cave. My master’s friend and his companions entered the gate and found themselves in Dreamrealm."

"They arrived in a place within Dreamrealm called the Forgotten Hills. It was barren, devoid of flora, fauna, or any living beings. Sensing something amiss, they promptly retraced their steps and returned to the real world. After their return, they began researching Dreamrealm."

"Once they confirmed the existence of Dreamrealm and gathered some basic information, the Taoist practitioners of China unanimously decided to establish a base in Dreamrealm. There are many things in Dreamrealm that don’t exist in the real world, and as you may know, we Taoists are particularly fond of crafting magical artifacts and alchemical elixirs. Many of the materials for these items come from certain mythical creatures. The legendary Elixir of Immortality, for example, required the hearts of nine specific mythical creatures capable of granting immortality, including the Deep Ones worshipped by the Deep Sea Gospel Society."

"Thus, the China Sect organized a large group to enter the Alternate Dimension Gate, arriving at the Forgotten Hills in Dreamrealm, where they established a base. They continued to send resources and manpower to maintain and develop this base because the surrounding mythical creatures, upon detecting the anomaly in the Forgotten Hills, were the first to attack."

"After paying a significant price, the China Sect finally succeeded in establishing their base and gained the recognition of the surrounding mythical creatures. My master was involved in the entire process of establishing this base and obtained numerous Guiding Tokens."

At this point, Zhang Jingxu retrieved a token that resembled a shard of pottery from his pocket.

"This Guiding Token can only be used within Dreamrealm, and it’s crafted from a marvelous stone called the Mother-Child Stone. However, the Guiding Token is made from the child stone within the Mother-Child Stone. By infusing sufficient mana, the Guiding Token will automatically carry the holder at incredible speed toward the designated meeting stone, which is, naturally, the mother stone within the Mother-Child Stone."

"So, unless something unexpected happens, I can activate the Guiding Token the moment we enter the Bronze Gate, and I’ll be transported directly to the China Sect base in the Forgotten Hills of Dreamrealm. Then, I can seek help from the China Sect. If this mission succeeds, we’ll be able to leave Fisher’s Village safely. After all, the individuals within the China Sect base are all top-tier experts in the world today, including one of my senior martial brothers," Zhang Jingxu proudly declared.

After listening to Zhang Jingxu’s words, Liu Xing couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the China Sect to be so powerful, even establishing a base in Dreamrealm. It was worth noting that Dreamrealm was home to numerous formidable mythical creatures.

Furthermore, Zhang Jingxu seemed to have quite good luck to have joined such a powerful organization. Liu Xing believed that Zhang Jingxu must have a significant world mission, as the saying goes, "Heaven will bestow a great task upon a worthy individual."

However, Liu Xing was surprised that within the Cthulhu mythos, the materials for the Elixir of Immortality were the hearts of nine immortal mythical creatures. But then again, it made sense in a way. There was an old Chinese saying, "Eat what you lack," implying that if you wanted immortality, you had to consume beings with immortality. Additionally, there was another Chinese saying that "nine" represented completion and new beginnings, making nine immortal creatures a fitting requirement.

Liu Xing sighed, but it was all within his expectations. He knew that KP Green Light didn’t want Zhang Jingxu to go to Dreamrealm to seek reinforcements, as it would potentially allow players to bypass the module by simply waiting for Zhang Jingxu to arrive at the China Sect base and roll a judgment to determine the outcome.

So, Liu Xing believed that Lu Tianya’s discouragement was influenced by KP Green Light.

"Hey, can you players please have more optimistic thoughts? Don’t think of me, your KP, as so devious and scheming. Besides the Plot Encounters clearly mentioned in the module, I don’t take arbitrary actions. So, Lu Tianya’s words were entirely her own thoughts, unrelated to me," KP Green Light said somewhat annoyed.

However, Zhang Jingxu was even happier after KP Green Light’s words, as it seemed that Lu Tianya genuinely cared about him.

At that moment, KP Green Light continued, "Since you players dared to question your dear KP’s character, I must issue a warning. Because, apart from Zhang Jingxu, none of the players were aware of Dreamrealm’s existence. Therefore, upon learning this information, player Liu Xing will lose 1 sanity point and gain 1 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge point. Players Miyako Goudong and Panda Pig will each lose 2 sanity points and gain 2 Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge points."

Liu Xing knew that KP Green Light was joking, as he had prepared himself to lose sanity points when Zhang Jingxu shared Dreamrealm information, meeting the criteria for an oral check.

However, Liu Xing was surprised that he hadn’t triggered a sanity check when using the Wall-Passing Technique, or even triggered one for Panda Pig. Since Liu Xing could justify his lack of a sanity check by being the secret cult leader, and Miyako Goudong could attribute it to his chuunibyou (middle school second-year syndrome), he couldn’t come up with a reason for Panda Pig.

So, Liu Xing believed that Panda Pig might have a hidden backstory.

Since Lu Tianya had discouraged Zhang Jingxu’s plan, Liu Xing and the others had no choice but to disregard Dreamrealm’s existence and shift the conversation back to Liu Xing.

"Liu Xing, since you’ve already been down there once, why don’t you continue exploring once Zhang Jingxu has restored his mana? After all, you’re already familiar with it," Panda Pig suggested with a smile.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow and pulled out his phone, saying, "Look, my phone’s battery is only at around 20% now. Smartphones drain battery quickly, and even if I stop using it now, by tomorrow, it’ll be down to 10% at most. If I go back down, it won’t take long before my phone dies, and I’ll be blind in the pitch-black underground ruins. So, if you want me to go down again, you’ll have to lend me your phones. Who’s willing to do that?"

Liu Xing’s words left Panda Pig and the others silent.

In this modern society, the importance of smartphones was self-evident. They contained a lot of sensitive personal information, so even in the real world, very few people would be willing to lend their phones to others, let alone in the Cthulhu RPG Game.

As for Liu Xing, if someone did lend him their phone, he would have the opportunity to learn their home address, allowing him to conduct a "home visit" with his followers in the future.

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